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Off the Shelf: The lure of a good book

I was wondering what draws us to certain books. Is it that the reader loves the writing, that the story or message draws them in, maybe that the characters are relatable? Perhaps it’s also primal…and harkens back to the stories you read or that were read to you as a kid. I grew up with Pippi Longstocking and Tom Sawyer, stories involving orphans and other unattended children and the truths they tell. Possibly that’s why Jonathon Auxier’s “Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster” called to me.

Nan only knows life with the Sweep. They travel together, clean chimneys together, sing and go without together. Until the day she wakes up on a roof, the Sweep is gone, and all she has left is his hat and a piece of char. Thus at age six she becomes indentured to Wilkie Crudd, sweeping all day, working for scraps (if she’s lucky), until the day she gets caught in the flue and her worst nightmare happens. What happens after that (for me reading it anyway) is like the moment when Dorothy opens the door to Oz and everything turns Technicolor – because that’s when the magic happens. That’s when Nan is befriended by something that others would call a monster.

Later, when her friend, whose name is Charlie, questions what he is, he asks her if he is a monster. Nan, who has experienced a great deal in her young life, answers: “I’ve met monsters before,” she said, resting her head atop his. “And you are not one of them.” It is sentences such as that, viewing the world through a child’s eyes,that resonate with me. To say that I loved Sweep would be wrong–I REALLY loved it. You can check out the book at the library, but you’ll have to provide your own tissues

I know that humor also calls to me in books. “City of Ghosts” is about 11-year-old Cassidy and her parents, who are Inspectors; that is, they are ghost hunters, although they have never actually seen any. That is pretty ironic because since Cassidy’s near death experience, she not only sees ghosts, but she has one as a best friend. Jacob always tries to keep Cassidy safe, and he is a hoot. Called to Scotland to investigate the very haunted city of Edinburgh, Cassidy is introduced to a more frightening type of ghost than she has ever encountered. But even amidst their scary adventure, the interchanges between Cassidy and Jacob made me laugh. When Cassidy is gobsmacked at a building that reminds her of the Great Hall in Harry Potter, Jacob (who hasn’t read the books) says: “Pigworts! Broom ball! Crowpuff!” to lightly mock her. (Harry Potter fans will appreciate the humor.) This junior book was great fun and isn’t too frightening, it is just scary enough. I already know I’ll pick up Victoria Schwab’s next adventure involving Cassidy and Jacob.

The newest collaboration by Ally Connie and Brendan Reichs is a nice little stew of everything an 11-or-12 year old might like in a paranormal read. It starts with the scary local legend involving thick fog hanging over Still Cove where people have gone missing, folds in unverified sightings of the Beast, introduces a bully, adds in an accident that throws unexpected companions together, and tosses in equal amounts of fear, fun, and teamwork to become “The Darkdeep.” A bullying incident/accident sends Nico unexpectedly into Still Cove, prompting his friends to race in after to save him. That’s when they find an island and a houseboat full of inexplicable, alluring things. And the mystery begins.

“Adrian Simcox Does NOT Have a Horse” by Marcy Campbell is a wonderful picture book about empathy. Over and over it increasingly incenses Chloe at school when Adrian talks about owning a horse. That is, until her mother walks her to a shabbier part of town and Chloe sees Adrian outside a house half the size as hers, with a tiny yard. Even though she still wants to tell him he cannot possibly own a horse, Chloe has a lightning bolt moment of understanding when she realizes that Adrian is just using his imagination to escape his world and, accepting that, she asks him to tell her about his horse.

“Blue” by Laura Vaccaro Seeger, is a masterpiece of color and heart. “Blue” is shades of color, it is also a dog, and then too, it’s a feeling. This book can break your heart and then heal it again all within 40 pages. Wordless, simple and beautiful, full of ideas and emotions…it is a picture book that is not to be missed.

All of these books drew me in, but if you like to read something with a lot of heart, I would highly recommend: “Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster” and “Blue.” No matter what draws you into a book, come into the library and check something out.

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